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Argus Verze
Argus was once a minor lord from southern Berma who rose up to eventually become Vice Prime Minister and then Prime Minister of the Court of Nobles. He was instrumental in maintaining peace between Westward and the Eastern Territories, especially during the Black Dog Revolution. Background Verze was born in 630 AU to a minor lord in southern Berma, in the Forsook Pools. His mother was a wench from Whitedoor and his father took pity on the boy enough to take him into his home. Growing up, Verze was a very quiet boy but was always eager to learn, especially about his nation's own heritage. He had heard only rumors of the barbarians who invaded and remained fearful of the stories his father told him about the supposed savages. Despite his careful nature, Verze had the ambition to become a member of the Berman Court and eventually a minister. In 650 AU, he traveled to Goldrok and started to win favors with Emperor Juilus Narvineous. History Verze remained proud of his country, which earned him the respect of his Emperor and a few of his peers. In 655 AU, he was offered to go to Avo to attend King Alric Dacre's funeral but declined in favor of learning more about Berma's history back at the capital. He was devastated when the Emperor ended up dead and had to work with the ministers to hold the nation together. By 658 AU, he and the minister had barely managed to maintain Berma with the massive void of power left in the Narvineous line. And with no heirs, nobles were constantly feuding with each other for control. Verze, on the other hand, saw the danger in such behavior due to increasing barbarian activity in the north and spoke out against it. His neutrality, however, only earned him the first trip out of Goldrok, and he was sent to Avo to take the vacant position in the Court of Nobles. Upon his arrival to Avalot, Verze tried to convince other members of the Court to lend aid to Berma and be aware of a rising barbarian concern. His pleas fell on deaf ears with Avalotians still bitter about the Emperor taking over. Even when the Ninth Barbarian Invasion finally began, the Court was still divided. Verze turned to the only person willing to listen to him, Gunter Newgate, to gather allies to free Berma from barbarian control. Going from noble to noble, the two eventually uncovered an even worse plot in the Court. This resulted in a confrontation with Princess Isolda Drago, who killed her brother, and exposed Jop Carnell as a servant of the Midnight Hands. Later, he helped rally the commoners of Avo to protect the city against an impending naval attack. Upon the Prime Minister of the Court's return, Kenneth Deshotel, Verze was rewarded with his loyalty to the Court with a promotion to Vice Prime Minister. During the summer of 658 AU, Verze aided Deshotel in preparing for the coming barbarian invasion by training Mary the Mute and aiding with the creation of a Tree Fever cure. It was during this time that he also met and fell in love with Lily Ernest, though she was in disguise and he was not aware of her identity. This love affair ended violently with an attempt on Mary and Deshotel's life. Verze resented Lily and vowed to not fall in love again while in office. Sacrifice When the barbarians finally did come in 659 AU, Verze aided in Mary's escape from Avo. He stayed behind with Deshotel to hold the city together in the face of the siege, helping to police the commoners in the face of the crisis. Unfortunately, his former lover, Lily, had managed to sneak into the Court of Nobles with Midnight Hands agents. They killed Deshotel and took over the city, using Verze and the other nobles as puppets for their control. Verze could not act against his captors until Mary returned with her army. When that finally did happen, he had one final confrontation with Lily before she was killed by Jop Carnell. With Deshotel dead, Verze took command of the Court and rallied the city in preparation for the defense of Avo. This was also prevented thanks to Mary, who agreed to wed the barbarian chieftain and end the Invasion and future ones. Verze agreed to honor her sacrifice and respectfully worked with the Hysaph Jaric in an attempt to foster peace into the modern era. He also agreed to hand over Berma to the Westwardens in order to promote and foster their peace with each other. As one last service to his friend and mentor, Verze held a funeral for Deshotel in Whiteport, which he and Mary attended. Modern Era From then on, Verze worked tirelessly to both convince the Pinelands to rejoin the Court of Nobles and maintain the delicate peace between the Eastern Territories and Westward. He worked with Mary until her unfortunate death in 665 AU, and then he tried to work with Jaric. Even during the Black Dog Revolution in 670 AU, he was called a coward by his own people in Berma, but still he did not move to aid them. Verze believed that peace could only be achieved through neutrality and urged the rest of the Court to do the same. In the modern day, he still works to hold the Court together in the face of the bullying of the Pinelands. Personality While he started as a naive young noble, Verze quickly grew into a wise and peaceful man. Though not the wisest man, he had plenty of common sense to not get himself into trouble and would always pick the route of least resistance. Many people called him a coward but he looked to do what was best for the world. He was also very quick to forgive those who wronged him, even the entire nation of Westward. It was thanks to him that the peace lasted as long as it did.